Draft What Grade Would You Give Our 2020 Draft?

[MysticLeviathan]

He had 42 points in 60 games...Id say saying he's got no offense in him is kinda...unfair

Robertson had 47 in 60...does he also have no offensive game to him?

How many points were secondary assists that had little impact on the goal? how many were on the PP where he won’t be seeing any time? It’s the eye test. He’ll be a really good defensive defenseman, but if people are expecting a lot of offense from him, they’re gonna be disappointed.

 

[True Blue]

Lapierre is probably going to be the one fans remember and potentially hold against the Rangers if he pans out.

Some of the other options --- be it Bourque, Greig, Zary, or even Khusnutdinov probably won't generate quite as strong of reactions if they pan out (and stick at center).

Lapierre is tough to pass on, but the same health concerns that dropped him into our range in the first place will be the same concerns that hover over him for a while.

Only speaking for me, that is something that I can more than live with. The injuries were just too much of a red flag for me. And the prospect they took seems to fill a need (not just a smallish puckmover) and is right handed, which is considered gold anyway. Plus to me, to be able to get him at 19 was way too good to pass up, given the value.

 

[MysticLeviathan]

Lapierre is probably going to be the one fans remember and potentially hold against the Rangers if he pans out.

Some of the other options --- be it Bourque, Greig, Zary, or even Khusnutdinov probably won't generate quite as strong of reactions if they pan out (and stick at center).

Lapierre is tough to pass on, but the same health concerns that dropped him into our range in the first place will be the same concerns that hover over him for a while.

I still think not drafting Lapierre was a mistake. We need another C. He would’ve been a perfect fit. You take that risk. Even if he doesn’t pan out, you can’t fault management when his upside is top 10 player in the draft if not higher. We already had our 1st round pick. The second pick should’ve been used for a boom/bust guy.

 

[Edge]

I still think not drafting Lapierre was a mistake. We need another C. He would’ve been a perfect fit. You take that risk. Even if he doesn’t pan out, you can’t fault management when his upside is top 10 player in the draft if not higher. We already had our 1st round pick. The second pick should’ve been used for a boom/bust guy.

The concern with Lapierre was the health. After reviewing the medical records, there were a few teams that just were not comfortable taking the chance --- despite the upside.

The challenge with assessing risk is that it's not our asses on the line, or our skin in the game. It's a lot easier for any of us, myself included, to be bold when we're playing poker with Halloween candy, rather than when the mortgage money is on the table. I say that as someone who probably would've rolled the dice on Lapierre. But I also say that as someone who doesn't have access to the medical records either.

If you're the Rangers, you have players you like on the board. In particular you have a guy who is different than most of the other prospects you have in the cupboard and you feel is the type of player who can help you win (Schneider). That can be difficult to walk from when you're looking at a guy whose medical records concern your team doctors (Lapierre), or if there is a feeling that not all the information being presented was forthright or accurate.

So while you could have a scenario where Lapierre eventually becomes a 15-20 goal, 60-70 point center. You could also have a scenario where he's knocked out of hockey 11 games after turning pro. Now not only do you not have the value from the guy you drafted, you're also potentially using other assets to go out and get a guy just like the one you had 12th on your list back in 2020.

That's a legit concern for teams.

I think there's a difference between boom/bust types, and guys with serious medical red flags. As a fanbase that lost three first round picks to injury before their 21st birthdays, in a 10 year span, I don't think we can dismiss that reality ourselves.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

I still think not drafting Lapierre was a mistake. We need another C. He would’ve been a perfect fit. You take that risk. Even if he doesn’t pan out, you can’t fault management when his upside is top 10 player in the draft if not higher. We already had our 1st round pick. The second pick should’ve been used for a boom/bust guy.

No it is not a mistake, you avoid players like that in the 1st round at all costs. Caps made a mistake trading up to get him. Injuries, soft, and poor goal production in his draft year.

 

[Edge]

I don't know if I would call taking or passing on Lapierre a mistake, so much as a calculated risk.

Based on some calculations, you could condone the move. Based on others, you could condemn it.

I think some of it comes down to where you take the risk.

In the Rangers case, I honestly don't think they had a desire to pass up on the chance to get Schneider. For them, Schneider wasn't a consolation prize --- he was a targeted player.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

Lapierre is probably going to be the one fans remember and potentially hold against the Rangers if he pans out.

Some of the other options --- be it Bourque, Greig, Zary, or even Khusnutdinov probably won't generate quite as strong of reactions if they pan out (and stick at center).

Lapierre is tough to pass on, but the same health concerns that dropped him into our range in the first place will be the same concerns that hover over him for a while.

Lapierre gives me Adrian Foster vibes, did not work out for the Devils. Could have picked a safe pick, but they thought the gamble would somehow pay off.

And Rangers already had similar situations with Sauer and Cliche.

 

[True Blue]

How many points were secondary assists that had little impact on the goal? how many were on the PP where he won’t be seeing any time? It’s the eye test. He’ll be a really good defensive defenseman, but if people are expecting a lot of offense from him, they’re gonna be disappointed.

No one is expecting a lot of offense from him. But again, so what? If he can play excellent defense, shut down the opposition and chip in with 30 points that is perfect. And, truth be told, if he is successful at shutting down the opposition I do not care if he had less points than that.

There is much, much more to being a defenseman than seeing how many points you have on board. This team does not need 4th forwards. They need players that will, you know, defend. In the forceeable future, the Rangers will have several players in the line up that will generate plenty of offense. They do not need an entire starting 6 to all be puck movers.

As for Schneider's offensive prowess, he makes a good outlet first pass and has a very good shot from the point. The type that you can feed on a PP. But again, his offense is not what got him drafted in the first round and considered to be one of the better defensive prospects in the entire draft class.

 

[kovazub94]

Lapierre is probably going to be the one fans remember and potentially hold against the Rangers if he pans out.

.....

Lapierre is tough to pass on, but the same health concerns that dropped him into our range in the first place will be the same concerns that hover over him for a while.

A potential top-5 pick that 2/3s of the NHL teams passed on? Even if one "gives a break" to another 5-8 teams who arguable could find a co-measurable prospect value in 6-12 range it looks like roughly half of the team passed on this talent because the injury concern was real. At this point it is on a fan base to figure out how real the risk is and whether it's worth it (the answer is not it's not).

 

[Edge]

A potential top-5 pick that 2/3s of the NHL teams passed on? Even if one "gives a break" to another 5-8 teams who arguable could find a co-measurable prospect value in 6-12 range it looks like roughly half of the team passed on this talent because the injury concern was real. At this point it is on a fan base to figure out how real the risk is and whether it's worth it (the answer is not it's not).

Logic aside for a second, we all have the players we fall in love with. When we pass on those guys, and they don't pan out, it does become a talking point.

It's why Getzlaf and Tarasenko are still mentioned, but Jordan Schroeder and Tyler Biggs are not.

It's not right, or necessarily fair, but I could see it happening.

 

[kovazub94]

Logic aside for a second, we all have the players we fall in love with. When we pass on those guys, and they don't pan out, it does become a talking point.

It's why Getzlaf and Tarasenko are still mentioned, but Jordan Schroeder and Tyler Biggs are not.

It's not right, or necessarily fair, but I could see it happening.

As I said - it's on the fan base at this point. Getzlaf and Tarasenko aside (from infamous 2003 and 2010 drafts - but exceptions are there to underline general rules) I never understood fans who dismiss organizations' picks (or develop such a strong dislike - to the point of what looks like rooting against your team's success) just because it wasn't whom they thought their team SHOULD choose. To me this shows only a lack of humility, a crazy degree of self-importance reaching into vanity and conceit territory.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

Is his Vierling assessment accurate?

 

[egelband]

Certainly don't want anymore Panarins or Zibanejads.

I hear ya, but we didn’t draft those guys. It’s not like we were pulling great Europeans out of the draft and decided to change course. But I think we’d all agree that there’s room for all types of players and there’s no need for the Rangers brass to be blindered.

 

[egelband]

I’m still surprised Toronto passed him up. He seemed like a perfect fit for that organization.

Toronto doesn’t like to go by the book, do they? 4D chess.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

"A" even not including the Lafreniere pick. I am totally fine trading up three spots at the cost of a 3rd round pick for Schneider. Thrilled to get Cuylle, especially being able to salvage Andersson's value to do it. I'm getting intrigued by Tarnstrom. Garand was a goalie I'd figured was an option, and taking him in round 4 follows my rule of never taking one before round 4. Vierling and Berard were incredible value where they went. Rempe seems to me like a potential diamond in the rough. The goalie in round 7 is my only issue.

I don't mind Huge Ol' Ass in the 7th.

 

[LokiDog]

The first few picks were great. You also can’t really take away #1 because even if we hadn’t had it, we’d have drafted someone like Lundell in the 10s. But we traded up for a guy with solid NHL upside who, IMO, projects as a very desirable style of play and Cullye is also a solid pick. Lafreniere obviously would tilt any opinions to an A+, but we’d have had a solid pick regardless on top of the rest of the selections. I go with the A.

 

[chosen]

I hear ya, but we didn’t draft those guys. It’s not like we were pulling great Europeans out of the draft and decided to change course. But I think we’d all agree that there’s room for all types of players and there’s no need for the Rangers brass to be blindered.

Whether it's through the draft, by trade, or by free agency, downplaying the need to explore players from everywhere is foolish, to me.

 

[nyr2k2]

Posted this in the roster building thread but it seems relevant.

Our FO came in at 5th in The Athletic's rankings. 4th among opposing fan bases and 8th by our fan base (each fan base ranks their own and the score we gave ourselves was eighth-best).

2020 NHL front office confidence rankings: Fans weigh in on every team

"New York jumped into the top 10 last season and has now climbed into a top-five after a strong season that showed promise of the team’s future as a contender. Signing Artemi Panarin was a slam-dunk as he ignited the team toward playing meaningful games down the stretch. The prospect cupboard is well-stocked now, which bodes well for the future of the franchise as does some strong lottery luck, but developing those prospects has proven a little tricky. That’s still an issue here and may hold the Rangers back from reaching their full potential."

Cap management was everyone's biggest issue with the team.

 

[aufheben]

Posted this in the roster building thread but it seems relevant.

Our FO came in at 5th in The Athletic's rankings. 4th among opposing fan bases and 8th by our fan base (each fan base ranks their own and the score we gave ourselves was eighth-best).

2020 NHL front office confidence rankings: Fans weigh in on every team

"New York jumped into the top 10 last season and has now climbed into a top-five after a strong season that showed promise of the team’s future as a contender. Signing Artemi Panarin was a slam-dunk as he ignited the team toward playing meaningful games down the stretch. The prospect cupboard is well-stocked now, which bodes well for the future of the franchise as does some strong lottery luck, but developing those prospects has proven a little tricky. That’s still an issue here and may hold the Rangers back from reaching their full potential."

Cap management was everyone's biggest issue with the team.

 

[nyr2k2]

View attachment 376043

Detroit, Carolina, Tampa, and Colorado were ahead, in that order.

 

[aufheben]

Detroit, Carolina, Tampa, and Colorado were ahead, in that order.

*coming off worst season in modern NHL history*

 

[nyr2k2]

*coming off worst season in modern NHL history*

I know, it's funny. They were ninth in "public opinion" but fourth by their own fan base. The anti-us.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

I don't mind Huge Ol' Ass in the 7th.

he can be Oily Lipbalm's buddy

 

[Machinehead]

Somewhere between a B+ and an A-.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and rounded up.

Nobody really has any idea where these kids end up so this early, you have to go on intentions. I liked most of our thought processes.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Just realized that at some point in the last couple years I've transitioned from hating the idea of trading up, to being excited when we do and trusting that our guys are going to nail their late first round picks.